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HP is rolling out their newest TouchSmart and it’s a Tablet PC.  What’s the big deal?  Well, Gadgetell got a chance to actually play with the HP TouchSmart TX2 and it is really something.

At first blush, the TX2 looks like a standard Tablet PC with a hinge that allows the entire 12.1-inch screen to be turned around and folded down for a slate style experience.  The real fun is in the touch screen which is capacitive and not resistive; that means you don’t have to press the screen very hard for the computer to register inputs.  A simple tap to the screen is enough for the TX2.

Multi-touch

The laptop supports multi-touch input as well.  While Windows Vista doesn’t do multi-touch yet, HP has built this technology into the drivers.  The multi-touch inputs are translated into keystroke commands so you can have multi-touch beyond HP’s MediaSmart software. 

The screen was pretty responsive to touch, although there were instances where my touch didn’t register.  Strangely, the same thing happens to me on my iPhone.  Perhaps I do not play well with touch screens, but when others tried the screen, it was very responsive.  It was very easy to close apps, hit the Start button, and it was even possible to get into the system tray using a touch if you were careful.  Considering that the TX2 has a 12.1-inch screen, I was rather impressed. 

Quirks

Since this is a Tablet PC and not a desktop, there were some quirks.  The HP MediaSmart software, HP’s multi-touch enabled photo/video/music player, does not play well in portrait mode.  In fact, if you are running the software and switch to portrait, a message will pop up on the screen saying that the HP MediaSmart software is not optimized for this display and will now quit.  The app doesn’t just disappear, you do have to click an “OK” button. 

Also, the HP MediaSmart music player did not have any onscreen volume controls.  This is not really a problem in most cases, but if you are using the TX2 in slate mode, you will have to go into your Windows system tray to adjust the volume.  The HP rep was a bit confused by this oversight as well, so I would imagine it will be fixed in the long run. 

The Hardware

The laptop hardware is very nice.  The hinge on the device seemed pretty sturdy as it required some force to turn the monitor around.  The hinge locks into place after you’ve turned it 180 degrees.  If you push down on the monitor, you can turn the TX2 into a slate-style PC.  A latch locks the monitor down once you’ve converted it into slate mode.

The keyboard was fine.  While it looked a bit glossy, my fingers did not slip at all.  The function and escape keys on the top row are smaller than average, but the main part of the keyboard is very comfortable. 

HP has packed in an optical drive, an ExpressCard34 slot (which HP has filled with an IR remote for media center) and dual headphone jacks so you can share your screen with someone.  The laptop comes equipped with two IR sensors so that you will be able to use that included remote in any of the laptop configurations.  That’s a small thing, but very helpful. 

The laptop weighs a little over 4 pounds and is available today starting at $1,149.99.

SPECIFICATIONS

OPERATING SYSTEM

• Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate OR,
• Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium OR,
• Genuine Windows Vista® Business

PROCESSOR

• AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core Processor QL-64 (2.1 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) OR, 
• AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core Processor QL-62 (2.0 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) OR,
• AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-74 (2.2GHz, 1MB L2 cache) OR,
• AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-72 (2.1GHz, 1MB L2 cache) OR,
• AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-80 (2.1GHz, 2MB L2 cache) OR,
• AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-82 (2.2GHz, 2MB L2 cache) OR,
• AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-84 (2.3GHz, 2MB L2 cache) OR,
• AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-86 (2.4GHz, 2MB L2 cache)

MEMORY

• Up to 8GB DDR2 SDRAM System Memory (2 SODIMM; 64-bit OS)

VIDEO GRAPHICS

• ATI Radeon HD 3200

HARD DRIVE

• 160/250/320/400G/500B 5400 rpm SATA

FINISH AND FEATURES

• HP Reaction Imprint finish with HP Webcam and integrated microphone

MULTIMEDIA DRIVE

• SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support OR,
• LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support

DISPLAY

• 12.1-inch diagonal WXGA (1280 x 800), Integrated touch-screen, Convertible display

NETWORK CARD

• Integrated 10/10/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)

WIRELESS OPTION

• 802.11b/g WLAN OR,
• 802.11b/g WLAN and Bluetooth OR,
• Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN OR,
• Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n with Bluetooth

AUDIO

• Altec Lansing

KEYBOARD

101-key compatible and 3 Quick Launch Buttons

EXTERNAL NOTEBOOK PORTS

• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 1 VGA
• 1 RJ-11
• 1 RJ-45/Ethernet
• 2 Headphone out - 1 with SPDIF Digital Audio & 1 stereo
• 1 Microphone in
• 1 Expansion port 3
• 1 Consumer IR for remote control
• Digital pen with integrated docking bay

DIMENSIONS

• 12.05 in (L) x 8.82 in (W) x 1.23 in (min H) / 1.52 in (max H) (with 4-cell battery)

WEIGHT

• Starting at 4.33 lb / 1.97 kg(16) (with Touchscreen, Digitizer, Weightsaver, 4-cell battery)

POWER

• 4-cell (37 WHr) OR,
• 6-cell (55 WHr) OR, 
• 8-cell (73 WHRr) Lithium-Ion battery OR,
 
• 65W HP AC Adapter

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